A Virginia elderly couple who nearly died during Hurricane Helene had their home rebuilt by a group of volunteers and nonprofit organizations, making it one of many homes set to be rebuilt for storm victims.

Carl and Linda McMurray’s new home, which was built by the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), was celebrated Friday in the company of local leaders during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. 

The overall project to rebuild victims’ homes is expected to cost about $1.4 million. Funding comes from a mix of public and private sources, including Washington County, the Town of Damascus, the United Way, individual donors and private foundations.

FAMILY THAT LOST 11 IN HURRICANE HELENE MUDSLIDES SAYS COMMUNITY SACRIFICED ‘LIFE AND LIMB’ TO SAVE EACH OTHER

Last October, when floodwaters ripped the McMurray home apart, the couple were forced to take shelter on the second floor and wear life jackets. The house began to collapse, and Carl was swept downstream by the heavy rainwater before eventually clinging to a tree for hours until he was spotted by a neighbor and rescued by helicopter nearly four hours later.

Linda, meanwhile, remained trapped alone on the darkened second floor of what remained of their house, using just the light from her watch to see and Afghan blankets to stay warm. 

“All night I kept praying, repeating the Lord’s prayer and the 23rd Psalm,” she said, according to a local news report.

She was rescued 16 hours later. The couple, married 57 years, believed the other had been lost to the flood until they were reunited.

“There are still so many families that need to have the exact same sense of opportunity and option and rebuilding that Linda and Carl have today,” Youngkin said during his speech. “There were heroes everywhere, and that was a moment when we needed heroes,” Youngkin added. “The number of water rescues was astounding, and that is something to say amen to.”

“Neither knew if the other had survived, but when Linda finally walked into Carl’s hospital room, their prayers were answered,” Youngkin said.

PUPPIES RESCUED FROM HURRICANE HELENE TO BE REHOMED WITH MILITARY VETERANS

Residents of Dandridge, Tennessee, described the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene as “gut-wrenching.” One resident said the debris was so thick, she felt she could “walk on the water.” (Jill Cody)

MDS offered free labor and thousands of volunteer hours to build the McMurrays’ new home. Its Amish counterpart, Storm Aid, sent skilled workers weekly to assist onsite. Volunteers often rotate in for a week at a time, tackling multiple homes and offering expertise in everything from roofing to framing.

Each home costs about $130,000 to build, Youngkin’s office said. Homeowners are asked to contribute roughly 10% – between $11,000 and $12,000 – from their Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance. The rest is covered by Trails to Recovery, a nonprofit organizing the rebuild. They pay for materials, coordinate trades like plumbing and electrical, and work directly with MDS to keep construction on schedule.

A full-time MDS project manager stays onsite for weeks at a time to keep things moving.

TRUMP PRAISES ELON MUSK AS ‘PATRIOT, A BRILLIANT GUY, AND A FRIEND OF MINE’ AMID DOGE EXIT

Gov. Glenn Youngkin joins Hurricane Helene survivors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of their new home. (Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Office)

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that struck the Gulf Coast in late September 2024, caused widespread devastation across southwest Virginia, particularly in Grayson, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties as well as the city of Galax.

The storm led to the closure of hundreds of roads and bridges, leaving many people isolated in their towns. Nearly 310,000 Virginians lost power and 3,700 farms were reportedly affected, resulting in more than $630 million in damages.

After the devastation, Youngkin established the Office of Hurricane Helene Recovery and Rebuilding to coordinate state and federal recovery efforts. The office is led by Chief Transformation Officer Rob Ward.

Virginia has not received the $4.4 billion in federal funding requested by Youngkin in November for recovery from the disaster. In January, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Damascus, a town on the southwestern edge of the state that was one of the hardest-hit areas and criticized the previous administration’s response to the devastation.

“The local government’s working, the state government is working as hard as it can, the local communities and the nonprofits and the churches are working at breakneck speed, and yet you have the federal government out there, the biggest institution with the most money, that’s not doing its job. It just drives home how much better we can do,” Vance told Fox News Digital when asked about FEMA’s response to hurricane-damaged areas across the Southeast.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

An Alabama married couple and their pilot died on Saturday after crashing about one mile south of a rural airport in Sparta, Tennessee.

Airport officials and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News Digital the single-engine Mooney M20TN aircraft crashed at about noon local time, as it was on an approach to the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport.

FAMED STUNT PILOT WAS IN CONTACT WITH CONTROL TOWER PRIOR TO FATAL CRASH AT LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE

All three people on board died in the crash, airport officials confirmed. 

They have been identified as pilot Jonathan Braun, and passengers Dylan Clay Davis and Kelsie Lynn Davis.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) responded to the scene.

Upper Cumberland Regional Airport officials confirmed three people are dead following the crash on Saturday. (Google Maps)

DELTA PLANE, AIR FORCE JET NEARLY CRASH IN ‘LOSS OF SEPARATION’ DURING ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY FLYOVER

In a statement, the FAA said it will investigate. The NTSB is taking the lead.

The crash comes just days after a famed stunt pilot died while attempting to land at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

Rob Holland died in a plane crash on Thursday at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, according to a statement on his Facebook page. (Rob Holland Aerosports via Facebook)

FAMED STUNT PILOT DEAD AFTER PLANE CRASH AT LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, NTSB INVESTIGATING

Rob Holland, the pilot, was the only person on board and died after crashing into the dirt near the taxiway just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday, according to NTSB air safety investigator Dan Boggs. 

Holland was attempting a routine landing when the tragedy occurred, and was not performing any stunts, Boggs said. 

Officials confirmed Holland was in touch with air traffic controllers prior to the crash.

The airfield was closed at the time and military operations were not impacted.

Former Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate 67-29 as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to China.

Perdue, a former business executive with companies like Tennessee-based Dollar General and experience in global supply chains, including through Beijing, has long been a close ally of the president.

The ex-lawmaker, who is also the cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, passed his critical cloture vote by 64-27 on Monday evening, which ended further substantial debate on his nomination.

Perdue narrowly lost his 2021 runoff election with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., by just over 1%, or about 55,000 votes, and also, despite a presidential endorsement, failed in his quest to defeat Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022’s Republican primary.

DAVID PERDUE, FORMER SENATOR AND LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY PASSES KEY HURDLE TO CHINESE AMBASSADORSHIP

Fox News Digital also reached out to Ossoff for comment on his former foe’s confirmation.

During his confirmation hearing, Perdue said, “Marxist nationalism” is reshaping China and that their global ambitions threaten the world order.

“Since 2000, China has doubled its nuclear arsenal and grown its military at a pace unseen since WWII. They have militarized the South China Sea and violated their agreement in Hong Kong.”

“Their Social Credit Score system and extensive policing capability are designed to enforce domestic state control. Their Belt and Road Initiative and their Made in China 2025 statements demonstrate their global ambitions,” Perdue said.

“They speak of a global ‘community of common destiny for all mankind.’ Put simply, they want a world more in line with their authoritarian principles.”

Perdue went on to argue that Trump’s “America First” strategy that greatly affects the U.S.’s relationship with China is not isolationist, but “just the reverse.”

TRUMP SAYS CHINA’S XI CALLED HIM AMID ONGOING CONFUSION OVER TRADE TALKS

“America will be a stronger ally and partner by rebuilding our strategic supply chains at home and with our friends.”

He said Chinese President Xi Jinping, like Trump, only respects strength and that, if confirmed, he will work on reciprocity and security agreements with Beijing.

“Our approach to China should be nuanced, nonpartisan, and strategic,” Perdue said.

On Taiwan, which China views as a breakaway province, Perdue said he will support the longstanding “One China” policy while remaining committed to a “peaceful resolution” of tensions that is acceptable to both Beijing and Taipei.

“I will also ensure focus on our priority to eliminate fentanyl precursors and hold China accountable on human rights.”

The Senate recently confirmed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Three more Trump-diplomat nominees will see votes on cloture and likely ensuing tallies on their confirmations later Tuesday.

Former Reagan staffer and New York real estate investor Tom Barrack is up for an ambassadorship to Turkey, while Landry’s Restaurants and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is looking to serve as ambassador to Italy and San Marino, and Arkansas investment banker billionaire Warren Stephens has his sights on being the U.S.’ top diplomat to its closest European ally, the United Kingdom of Great Britain.